Page 50 - LIN DEC WEB

Community Support,

Making a Difference

for 45 Years

by Dr. Emily Ptaszek, president and CEO, Healthcare Network
n 2022, Healthcare Network celebrates more frequent. When my primary care provider at Healthcare
45 years of serving Collier County. Network diagnosed me with COPD, I didn’t really know what it
ILooking back, one thing still rings true to was, but he took time to help me understand and made sure I had the
this day – Healthcare Network exists because care I needed to stay healthy.
people care.
I live with COPD every day. Some days are not so good. On bad
With the community’s support, our team days when I have trouble breathing, I get scared and anxious, which
has grown tremendously since 1977. At first,
makes breathing worse. During a visit with my medical doctor, he
the organization operated out of trailers in
suggested I talk with the in-office psychologist.
Immokalee and consisted of a handful of
At first, I was not sure, but I liked that the psychologist’s office was
concerned citizens caring for underserved farmworkers. Today,
just down the hall. I am glad I went. She made me comfortable and
Healthcare Network has nearly 400 doctors, nurses, dentists,
taught me how to manage my anxiety. She also helped me when my
behavioral health providers, pharmacists and support staff who
mom died… Then COVID got me feeling down… she has helped me
provide accessible, affordable, quality and culturally appropriate
a lot over the years.
healthcare to more than 50,000 patients each year, including nearly
half of the children in Collier County. As we celebrate our remarkable history, we continue to look
During the pandemic, we continued providing essential ahead and develop programs to improve health equity. Soon we
primary and preventative services while also deploying a will offer convenient care to support patients who need immediate,
multilingual COVID-19 Response Team to address health same-day healthcare outside traditional practice hours, and
inequities that became even more apparent during the pandemic. psychology practices in Golden Gate and Immokalee dedicated
We also found innovative ways to reach our patients, including to treating more intensive mental health concerns such as severe
mobile units and telehealth visits. In total, we provided more than depression and anxiety. Additionally, based on the tremendous
$15 million in uncompensated care. impact and success of our COVID-19 Response Team, we will
Every day, patients of all ages, backgrounds, beliefs and expand our outreach program where health worker teams will
experiences come to us. For many, the journey is not easy. They face reach beyond our center walls to deliver healthcare directly to
a multitude of obstacles such as access to reliable transportation, underserved families throughout Collier County.
the ability to take time off from work or other responsibilities, Access to primary care is the cornerstone for building a strong,
communication concerns, confusion about the healthcare system healthy community. And while we have made great strides over
and fear and/or distrust. However, these individuals come to us the last 45 years, the need for comprehensive affordable healthcare
because they know Healthcare Network will not turn them away. continues to grow, especially in our rapidly expanding area. We ask
They will always be treated with compassion and respect, regardless you to join us in celebrating our history while looking to the future
of their circumstances. and the ways we can continue to create a safe, healthy and caring
This includes patients like Maria. environment, together.
A resident of Immokalee in her early 60s, Maria has been a
patient of Healthcare Network for many years. Her team is helping
her manage several chronic health conditions, including COPD Dr. Emily Ptaszek is CEO of Healthcare Network, which provided
and high blood pressure as well as behavioral health concerns. 131,523 patient visits, delivered 3.5 newborns per day, filled 60,025
Living on a limited budget, Maria is able to use the organization’s prescriptions, and saw 24,270 children in 2020. For more about
sliding fee discount to access the critical help she needs. Healthcare Network’s impact or to donate, visit healthcareswfl.org.
Not being able to breathe is scary. It started with a nagging cough,
tightness in my chest and bouts of fatigue. I kind of put it off,
thinking it wasn’t serious and it would go away… but it became

50 Life in Naples | December 2021